Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Yu Dan Shi, Karen McDermott Publishing, $29.95.
This book breaks big concepts into easy-to-digest chunks that enable you to create change, value and take pleasure in the present.
Sometimes, there are no second chances in life. However, executive coach and former Fortune 100 executive Yu Dan Shi was lucky. The successful manager for a global technology company with a great salary, had a wake-up call after a health emergency. That’s what made her realise the important thing was to live a life with more significance and joy.
The sad truth is, achieving society’s definition of success – an impressive career, status and wealth – can be a hollow victory. Yu Dan Shi knows this all too well. A lifetime spent chasing endless goals and the appearance of success came at a huge personal cost: a punishing workload while raising a family, a daily battle devoid of meaning, failing health and misery.
She admits to the truth. “I had an addiction to relentless ambition. My eyes were always on the next prize; whatever was bigger and better than the prize I had earned. I lived for tomorrow, an imaginative future of happiness and contentment that was always out of reach. I had convinced myself I was happy playing this perpetual game of chase. But the goals I chased weren’t even mine to start with. Mostly, they were determined by others: my family, bosses, successful people I admired, and cultural and societal expectations.”
Facing the truth was a painful yet life-changing experience. It had been a long, difficult journey from her underprivileged beginning in remote China. The emptiness Yu Dan felt at the height of her corporate career was a gift. With a new vision of success and clarity about what truly mattered to her, she transitioned to a path where there is no need to upend your life and throw away everything you have achieved.
Change doesn’t have to be daunting. In this transformative book, Yu Dan explores the conflict faced by the high achievers and guides you through her four proven and research-based principles, giving you the practical steps to make real, sustainable changes to your life.
“The blueprint for happiness isn’t made with a cookie cutter, identical to the person next to us. We all have different strengths, passions and motivations. We are all energized in different ways and thrive in different environments. Learning how to tap into our best self and working towards lasting fulfillment are skills we need to develop and practice every single day.”
